Social introduction skills to use with young people with visual impairment┃ Sight Scotland

Young people with visual impairment can often find socially communicating with other challenging. A lot of the communication that people use is non-verbal, using facial expressions and body language which is not available to the young person.
There are techniques to use to remedy this issue.
Key points:
1. Always use the young person’s name so they know who you are talking to
2. Introduce yourself by name
3. Make sure they know when you leave
It is a good idea to say peoples’ names to specify who you are addressing. For example, if people say “what do you think?” - but don’t specify who they are talking to - it is not always clear who is being addressed. This can also be quite difficult for people with visual impairment to know when it is their turn to speak, or not - particularly if someone is speaking to many people.

It is also helpful for someone to say hello or goodbye when they enter or leave speaking distance with a person with visual impairment.

Contact Sight Scotland for support or advice about educating children and young people with visual impairment.